Career Exploration
Career Counseling
With a focus on the whole person, students are encouraged to engage in a process of career exploration. Some students are interested in choosing an academic major or graduate program, others are identifying potential careers or areas of professional interest, still others are working to integrate their academic and/or professional pursuits with their broader life choices. Career counseling is focused on helping students align their values, interests and preferences with their academic, career and/or life goals.
Career counseling might include individual career counseling sessions, career assessments and/or participation in career-related workshops or groups.
Career Assessments
The Counseling Center offers students and alumni two widely used career assessment tools to provide information that can assist with career and/or academic planning. Results are presented in an interpretive workshop format (students and alumni), or in individual interpretive sessions (students only).
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the world’s most used indicator of adult personality patterns. It identifies individual preferences on four dimensions, two related to job content and two related to work environment. The results of this assessment can help guide choice of academic major, career direction, and help foster understanding and appreciation of individual differences in interpersonal relationships.
Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
The Strong Interest Inventory identifies interests and compares this information to the likes and dislikes of individuals in over 100 occupations. Where there is similarity in interest, there is likely to be job satisfaction. Results from the SII include a list of careers that may be of interest, as well as general “themes” to consider when choosing an academic major and/or career direction.
To take the MBTI and/or SII:
- Stop by the Counseling Center to pay, complete some brief paperwork, schedule your interpretation, and pick up on-line test-taking instructions.
- Assessments can be completed using any computer with Internet access, at any time 24 hours a day. Please allow an hour to complete each assessment.
- Due to the time it takes to score your assessment and prepare your results, please plan to complete the assessment at least two business days prior to your scheduled interpretation.
- Results from assessments can only be released with a professional interpretation. Interpretation options include:
- an individual interpretation with a career counselor at the Counseling Center
- an interpretive workshop at the Counseling Center
- an individual interpretation with a qualified career counselor outside of the Counseling Center.
Assessment results, like most other counseling services, are confidential information. They will only be released with written permission of the test-taker.
Schedule of Assessment Workshops – Autumn Quarter 2009
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- Tuesday, October 20, 2:00-3:30 401 Schmitz
- Tuesday, December 1, 2:00-3:30 401 Schmitz
Strong Interest Inventory
- Tuesday, October 13, 2:00-3:30 401 Schmitz
- Tuesday, November 10, 2:00-3:30 401 Schmitz
Autumn Quarter Career Group
- Career Group: a 5-week career group for freshmen/sophomores who are interested in exploring self and potential majors and/or career fields. Participants will need to take the MBTI (cost: $20) prior to the first group meeting. If interested, please call the Counseling Center (206-543-1240) to schedule an intake and brief meeting with the group leader. Meets Thursdays starting 10/29, 1:30-3:00pm.
Autumn Quarter Career Exploration Workshops for Graduate Students
The Counseling Center offers several workshops, and collaborates with other centers to offer workshops, to assist graduate students with Career and Life Planning. Following are descriptions of the workshops offered.
- Grad School: Arrive and Thrive: Did you start your graduate program in the last year or two? Are you feeling unsettled, unmotivated, or even a little depressed? Or maybe confused about what you’re supposed to be doing or afraid you’re not going to measure up? Congratulations. . .you’re normal! Join other new grad students in a conversation about transitions, expectations, and the realities of graduate school. We’ll also discuss strategies for using grad school to meet your short and long term goals. Co-sponsored by the Counseling Center and the Career Center.
- Monday, October 19, 3:30-5:30 p.m. 225 Sieg
- Two-Part Career Workshop for Graduate Students: This workshop is sponsored by the Counseling Center and the Career Center and is open to all currently enrolled UW graduate students. There is no fee for the workshop but due to limited space, you must email the Counseling Center to register.
- Part I: Values Identification and Clarification Workshop: Discovering and clarifying your values can help provide a focus for academic, career, and life decisions. Join the Career Center and the Counseling Center for an interactive workshop designed to identify and clarify the intangibles that often underlie our choices.
- Part II: Values-Based Career & Life Planning: Join the Career Center and the Counseling Center for an interactive workshop applying your identified work and life values. Continue to explore aspects of your success, development, and work-life balance. Sift through potential vocational options and find congruence between your goals and values. Must have attended Part 1: Values Identification and Clarification on November 17th.
FEES FOR CAREER SERVICES
Individual Career Counseling*
Initial session: No charge
Integrated Strong Interest Inventory: $40.00
Integrated Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: $40.00
Career counseling sessions: no additional charge
Career Assessment Interpretive Workshops**
Strong Interest Inventory: $20.00
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: $20.00
Alumni, either workshop: $40.00
Career Exploration Workshops*
Students: FREE
We accept cash and checks
*Only currently enrolled, matriculated, UW-Seattle students are eligible for these services.
**Only currently enrolled, matriculated, UW-Seattle students or alumni are eligible for these services.
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